Opinions with purpose: Quotes from the 40 Under 40 Roundtable

There was a lot of positive discussion among this year’s 40 Under 40 award winners focused on issues impacting the region during a March 25 Business Journal Roundtable at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee. Whether the topic was education, development of Milwaukee’s downtown or retaining young talent, participants provided their insight and some possible solutions to addressing problems facing businesses, public officials, employees and residents throughout the Milwaukee area.

McGee Young, associate professor at Marquette University and founder of H2Oscore, on what he would do if he were mayor of Milwaukee:

“I would buy the parking lot of Grand Avenue mall and make it free to park for the first hour, maybe even two hours, in the parking lot and 50 cents for every hour after that. Then, Grand Avenue would solve itself. Downtown would revitalize and it would become a destination for you and for all of the rest of us and become what Milwaukee hoped for 20 years ago.”

Deanna Singh, executive director of the Burke Foundation, on improving education in Milwaukee:

“When we talk about closing the achievement gap, it is closing all of these other gaps. It’s a root cause of some of the other issues we are having around the city. We’re at the top of all the wrong lists: highest incarceration rate, highest achievement gap. You go down these social ills, and there’s Milwaukee. We need to flip that. For me personally, I feel so much of that is rooted in education.”

Michael Hostad, director of Web and mobile strategy for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, on the downtown arena funding discussion:

“I think it really needs to happen. I think it’s getting to that point of being critical that it happens. It’s sad to me, though, that it’s become such a divisive issue, particularly when you look at the, ‘Well, Milwaukee’s getting this arena, I live in Kenosha so why should I pay for it,’ sort of thing. That’s unfortunate and I guess I can see the argument on both sides, but it’s disappointing to me that we’re not looking at this as being an asset to the region. It’s suddenly just become an asset to the city of Milwaukee and the people of Milwaukee proper, and that isn’t fair.”

“What do you mean, given? Go take the opportunities. I guess that’s a difference of how I’m wired maybe versus some other people. Realistically, I look at it as everybody has things they have to overcome.”

“I think the opportunities are there, I just don’t know how much a lot of the young professionals are taking advantage of them because I think a lot of them are stuck in their own microcosm and doing the things they need to do rather than being concerned about the bigger picture.”

DeVona Wright Cottrell, senior vice president and associate general counsel of Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc., on promoting Milwaukee:

“I don’t think that we do enough to celebrate our city. You hear about all the negative that’s going on. We need to hear about all the positive things that are going on.”

Joe Klein, principal of HKS Holdings, on attracting talent to the city:

“We need more outreach...Friends or family who come to visit are shocked at how much they enjoy the visit. We need to continue to promote.”